Thursday, November 5, 2009

RB: One of the things I have learned in the time that I have followed Zuska's blog, is that the more I peel away the layers on my own "bias onion", the more layers I find. At times it is a bit discouraging, but also enlightening, and at least I recognize my shortcomings and try to address them.

Recently, I peeled away another layer when Zuska and I had a conversation about the collection jars in her original post. I remarked that in my youth (when I was not so wise or mature), I did not see too many of these jars asking for donations, and when I did, I often felt that somehow the people who needed help were at fault. I thought that maybe they spent all their money unwisely, or that they did something wrong to be in that situation. Zuska replied that her experience was far different, and that she always felt the jars were "a fact of life, as what people had to do to get by."

Her email continued:

Do you think your earlier in life reaction to these was affected by the socioeconomic background of your upbringing? What I am trying to get at - if you were raised in relatively comfortable circumstances, with access to reasonable health insurance, and most people around you the same, then the appearance of such jars would seem like the "fault" of the people involved...different perspective if you are embedded in a community on the margins.

My thoughts and feelings have changed as I have matured. I realize how foolish my initial interpretations were, but given the context of my upbringing, they were not surprising. I now know how hard life can be, having lived a lot more of it. For myself, a long-term illness or severe health trauma would sap my financial resources in a heartbeat. It is scary to think that so many families are "that close" to the edge.

The jars themselves are objects -- they exist on their own, and their purpose is set. But how we interpret them can be very different, depending on the baggage we bring to the table.

What about you? Did you live in a community that saw a lot of these jars (or other fundraisers) when you were young? What did you think then? And has your perspective changed?

RB: ... in updating. The "silly season" has abated somewhat, so I'll be able to devote more time to the blog. My apologies that posting has been sporadic. Of course, I realize that my own trials and tribulations are minuscule compared to others, so I do feel a pang of guilt at being kept away. Updates should be more frequent. Please remember to submit any ideas, photos, feedback, etc. to beggar.nation at gmail.com

Our Mission

We are highly sympathetic to those who cannot afford health care costs. The aim of this blog is to bring attention to the fact that there are many people in similar situations, who need to rely on others to fill the gaps. Some people may find the term "beggar" to be a negative, but we do not mean it that way. In fact, this page sums it up nicely: "The presence of beggars can be indicative of larger socio-political issues in a given region, culture or time." If a photo was taken of your jar, and you'd like it removed, please let us know (beggar.nation at gmail.com).